Fish Sauce-Pickled Garlic
This is the first of our fish sauce recipes to support my new series on Demystifying Asian Ingredients. Inaugurating our fish sauce series is a recipe that incorporates fish sauce into a garlic-infused pickle brine. What's fantastic about it? The garlic not only enhances dishes like Korean pork belly lettuce wraps (bossam) but can also be minced and incorporated into sauces or dressings like nuoc cham.
Soffrito (Spanish-Style)
The French have mirepoix - carrots, celery, and onions. The Spanish have sofrito - onions, garlic, red peppers, and tomato. The Cajuns have the Holy Trinity - celery, green peppers, and onions. The Chinese have green onions, garlic, and ginger. They are all integral to so many dishes. Whatever culture your sofrito hails from, it is almost always sautéed to coax as much flavor as possible out of these few humble ingredients.
Wild Ramp Focaccia
Ramps are a hybrid between onion/garlic. They can be found in the late spring in wooded areas and farmers' markets. Do not confuse wild ramps with garlic scapes. I love using them in pickles, scrambled eggs, in salsas over grilled meats, or bread baking!